An Australian-born dance teacher claims she was racially abused while sitting in her car at Hope Street, Bathurst.
Shyamla Eswaran posted a video on social media explaining the incident. “Today I was told 'go back to where you came from' by three teenagers while sitting in my parked car,” her Facebook post read.
“It happened amidst a day of teaching filled with appreciative students and teachers. So much more needs to be done when these words are uttered by young adults.”
Ms Eswaran had just finishing teaching for the day at Bathurst High School and was putting her playlist together when somebody knocked on her car's window.
She had seen "three kids" outside, "two boys and one girl". "The tallest one cocks his head to the side, knocks on my window and said, 'go back where you came from.'”
Ms Eswaran made the decision to challenge them.
“I get out of the car and appeal to the girl and say, 'how would you feel if someone did that to you?' And she says, 'F-off and go and eat curry.'”
Ms Eswaran said it wasn't the first time she had been on the receiving-end of racially-charged abuse in Australia, but unlike in those previous experiences, this time she chose to speak up.
"I felt I had enough," she said.
"I had been told these things before. I had been called cockroach among other things because of my colour. I was the only kid of colour in my school and the experience was horrendous. But after all these years, I think speaking against such behaviour is the only option".
Ms Eswaran feels there is an undercurrent of racism in Australia, with people subjected to routine abuse because of their skin colour or nationality.
Source: Supplied
According to the Scanlon Foundation, 1 in 5 people in Australia were the target of racial discrimination (around 4.6 million people) in 2016-17. “Nearly half of all Australian residents from a culturally and linguistically diverse background have experienced racism at some time in their life,” the report suggests.
The foundation's 2017 Mapping Social Cohesion Report found that, since 2007, those reporting discrimination on the basis of their skin colour, ethnic origin or religion had more than doubled, from nine to 20 percent.
A study by the Western Sydney University found that 1 in 5 people living in Australia have been the target of verbal racial abuse. The report also suggested verbal abuse is the most common form of racism.
